Persuasion

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Jane Austen is a classic, somewhat feminist author of the 1800s. Many of her works center on class structures, somewhat pastoral settings, family dynamics, requited love... unrequited love and internal complex struggles that can validate or harm the individual. Many of her works are femalecentric and her writing is not always easy. However, the effort is worth the reward. In this sense, Persuasion is an excellent Austen "starter" text. It is short (by comparsion) and truly honors the themes mentioned above. This was her final written novel and was not published until after her death. It is the story of a woman in her twenties, who looks back on her later teens with regret. This regret stems mostly from the fact that she possibly passed over what could have been one of the greatest opportunities in life: love, because she listened to others instead of her heart. She must break out of her routine, and away from her irritating family, to find a life that makes her happy in the end. Although Austen is not without a bevy of interesting characters, all intermingling with one another in some way or another, the basic plot of the story is simple: love and persuasion for that love.